In the period between the two World Wars, just before the crash of the Great Depression, Calvin Coolidge gave this speech as both a warning and an encouragement to the American people. The name of the speech is “The Destiny of America.” It states lessons which need to re-learned today: Settlers came here from mixed... Continue Reading

The way I’ve thought about abortion over the years as a preacher—and I’m mainly a preacher, one who has to speak about abortion in the context of worship from the Bible—is to relate it to God. We always devote one Sunday (the Sanctity of Life Sunday) to abortion and one Sunday to racial harmony every... Continue Reading

As ministry opportunities permit I ask Christians about their prayer life. More often than I like to hear, the response I receive when asking about a Christian’s prayer life is, why bother? This objection also typically comes from Christians that have not developed the spiritual discipline of prayer in their lives. This objection to prayer... Continue Reading

Having just observed the magnificent sight of humpback whales cavorting off the coast of Hawaii, I am all the more aware of just how incredible these mammals really are. While there may be any number of reasons why they act as they do, I find it very hard to believe that they are not having... Continue Reading

Radical theologian Mary Daly died Jan 3 at age 81, ending one of the most interesting and tragic careers in contemporary theology. Known for her exaggerated outspokenness, Daly took theological feminism to what she believed was its rightful and logical conclusion — to the absolute rejection of Christianity and all theistic conceptions of God. In... Continue Reading

One cold morning the week before Christmas, I found myself huddled with a group of homeowners and religious leaders on Pennsylvania Avenue, in the shadow of the White House and the Treasury building. The homeowners, who had all worked hard to buy their first homes, and most of whom had put enough money down to... Continue Reading

A new paradigm for missionary support is sweeping through our churches. It resonates powerfully with businessmen who often dominate our mission committees. Here’s the concept: Instead of supporting American missionaries, let’s invest in national workers. Bang for the buck, it is more cost effective. Americans require much more support. Salary, insurance, annuities and administrative fees... Continue Reading

Obsessed with cool. Trendy. Impulsive. Self-focused. Caught up in the moment. Probably sounds like a description of some of the kids in your youth group. Actually, um…well…this is not an article about youth culture or the world of today’s teenagers. This is an article about us—those of us in the youth ministry culture, those of... Continue Reading

Pfizer, the huge drug company, has announced that it will be leaving a large research complex in New London, Connecticut and moving several hundred jobs to nearby Groton. Such belt-tightening in tough economic times would normally draw little criticism. In this case, however, it should. Recall that Pfizer played a central role in getting New... Continue Reading

Two of the most famous books in the Western canon turned 150 years old in 2009—On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. But these anniversaries were celebrated in vastly different ways. While Darwin’s book was honored around the globe with films and websites and much... Continue Reading